1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid cleaning preparation for hard surfaces, more especially surfaces of glass and ceramics.
2. Statement of Related Art
Conventional cleaning preparations for hard surfaces are generally aqueous preparations which are present either as solutions or as suspensions and which are commercially available in liquid or paste-like form. The principal constituents of preparations such as these are surfactants, complexing agents for the hardness constituents of water, abrasives, and organic solvents, the quantity in which the individual constituents are present being variable within wide limits according to the particular application. Cleaning preparations especially intended for the cleaning of glass and ceramic surfaces are frequently formulated as solutions of the active components in a mixture of water and water-soluble organic solvents, primarily lower alcohols and glycol ethers. Examples of preparations such as these can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,696,043; 3,463,735; 3,882,038; and 3,939,090.
Apart from the obvious need for high cleaning power, cleaning preparations of the above type are also required to lend themselves to simple and convenient application. At the same time, the preparations are often required to develop an almost automatic effect, i.e. they are expected to provide the desired effect after only a single application without any further treatments. This is difficult to achieve, particularly where the preparations are applied to smooth surfaces, more especially to smooth surfaces which, like glass or ceramics, are capable of mirror-like reflection. In general, it is necessary with conventional preparations to rinse off residues of the preparations after the actual cleaning process or to carefully polish and dry the surfaces after application to avoid visible residues on the smooth surfaces.